after these nocturnal residents. The belief is that the island’s early Norse inhabitants were possibly unfamiliar with the bird’s contact calls and therefore associated the mountain with the fearsome trolls of Norse mythology. Whatever the origin of the name, the colony at night broadcasts its presence with the calls of returning birds. Their calls alert the other shearwaters that have spent hours, and possibly days, closeted in a burrow that may be as long as two or three metres. And the noise has stirred the imaginations of sailors down the centuries, who described it as:
“
...so terrible a yelling that it is heard at an incredible distance. They tell you that houses even shake with it; and that, not only mankind, but all the brute creation within hearing, tremble at the sound.”
Indeed, any casual search of old accounts demonstrates that the reputation of shearwaters is far from benign. Writers believed the birds were inhabited by damned souls, and others called them ‘devil birds’.
Burrow time
For much of the year, the hills are silent at night as well as day. It’s only in May that birds return to the colony and start to clean out the burrow in which they may have bred in previous years. The burrow entrances are easily spotted, and occupied burrows may have tell- tale signs such as fresh droppings or recently excavated earth at the entrance.
Birds pair up and within days the single white egg is laid at the end of the burrow chamber. After about 50 days, during which the egg is incubated by both parents, the single grey downy chick hatches. It’s then fed by both parents on fish and other prey items caught in feeding trips that may last several days. The chick remains in the burrow for about 62–76 days. They put on weight and get fatter, to the point where they may be heavier than adult birds. It’s at this point that the adults
leave the chick. It continues to grow its familiar black and white plumage before
62 The Nature of Scotland
it emerges from the burrow and takes its first flight. This is always at night and propels the bird into a landscape populated with predators and other dangers. Manx shearwaters are favourite prey items for eagles and large gulls on Rum. If they manage to avoid being eaten, there are other hazards awaiting them.
In parts of their range, people have considered Manx shearwater chicks an important food supply, as the following rhyme from the Faroe Isles indicates. It was sung while gathering the chicks from their burrows:
Inside you lie Manx shearwater chick grey in down. Often we talk about you at home in the courtyard. We have come to take and not to buy. You must not leap
away from us into the nook.
For reasons that aren’t clear, Manx shearwater chicks are strongly attracted to lights. It’s perhaps a reflection of the fact that as they grow, the only light they see (and which they must move towards) is at the entrance to the burrow. For Rum birds this means that many come ashore in late August and September in the nearby mainland town of Mallaig. Hundreds of birds have been found there, before being ringed and released back to sea.
2
2
Around 60,000 pairs (23% of the world population) breed on Rum and each one produces a single chick. The colony is spread out over the island's mountain tops and is the only one known to breed so high up.
3
The long, straight wings of Manx shearwaters are perfect for long glides at sea where they can be seen banking or 'shearing' over the water.
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